Billet manipulator



Feb. i9 1924o Llfl l.. JONES 1 BILLET MANIPULATOR Filed April 15, 1920 s' sheets-sheet 1 'Feb.19,*1924 L. JONES BILLETVMANIPULATOR Filed April 15 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i man ses., ie, ieee. l

"i mills are provided with liftin LLOYD JONES, F PITTSiBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED FENGHGEER'HHG is FOUNDRY COMP r PMINSYLVANI.

, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVAMA, A. CORPGRA'IUN 0E BXLLET MANIPULATR.

Application led lipril 15, 1920. Serial No. 374,141.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, LLOYD JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny Count Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in Billet Manipulators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates broadly to billet manipulators, and more particularly to Wrenches or manipulators for bloomingmills with lifting or tiltin tables.

The principal object of t e present invention is to provide a manipulator or wrench adapted to automatically receive, grip and turn a billet 90 or more durin the movement of the lifting or tilting tab es.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator o1' wrench comprising a relatively xed member carried by the lifting tables, and a relatively movable member mounted on a suitable foundation,l

said members cooperating so that the movement of the table eects the desired turning of the billets.

The foregoing and other objects, to ether with their attendant advantages, will e apparent as the Ainvention becomes better understood by reference to the accompanying specification and drawin forming a part thereof, it being premise that changes may be made in the various details and the manner of operation within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.- I

Figure 1 is a plan view largely diagrammatical of a lifting table of the tilting type for a blooming-mill having my invention applied thereto. i

Figure 2 is a side view of a portion of the invention illustrated in Figure 1 showing the pivotal mounting for the tilting-table, and also a portion of a three-high mill.

Figure 3 is an enlar ed detail view of the manipulator or wrenc as it appears looking along the table; and

Figure 4 is a side view of the manipulator shown in Figure 3.

At the present time, three-high bloomingtables on each side thereof. While the b oom is still large in cross-section, that is during the initial passes thereof, it is easy to turn the saine by the use of small bars or stakes projecting upwardly between the rolls of the tables. As it becomes smaller, however, this method of turning is inedective and it is therefore customary to provide hand wrenches to manually turn the smaller billets to prepare them for successive subsequent passes. By means of the present invention, this manual operation is entirely,

eliminated, and the turning of the billets is accomplished automatically with the movement of the liftin tables, as 'will appear more fully hereina er.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, have illustrated the usual three-high blooming-mill with rolls 2 suitably mounted, and provided on each side thereof with the well known lifting tables li. Each of the tables carries a series of feeding rolls 5 and is provided with a ivotal mounting 6 and turning stakes or bars 7 projecting upwardly between the feeding rolls. The ordinary operating mechanism 8 for the tables and stakes is employed.

All of the foregoing, being well known, is illustrated diagrammatically for the purpose of rendering the application and operation of the present invention more clearly understood, it being apparent that the construction of the tables may be such as is best suited for the mill with which they are used, being either of the tilting or straight lifting type. The wrench oi' manipulator preferably comprises a bracket 10 secured to the frame of the lifting table at one side thereof, and provided with a plate 11 having series of billet engaging and gripping teeth or projections 12. Being secured to the frame of the table, it will be apparent that the bracket raises and lowers therewith, thereby providing what may be termed a relatively fixed portion of the manipulator. Cooperating with the relatively fixed portion 10, is a relatively movable portion 14 having a transverse pivotal mounting 15 with the lever 16. The lever is in turn pivoted at 17 in a suitable foundation 18, the axis of the pivotal mounting 17 projecting at substantially right angles to the axis of the pivotal mounting 15 to provide a universal connection between the foundation and relatively movable member 111.

rlhe frame l of the table also preferably has secured thereto a bracket 18a, through which extends a connecting rod 19 secured at its lower end movably within the lever 16, and provided at its upper end with a reice lill@ ried upwardly therewith.

silient connection 20. The end of the lever 16 away from the pivotal mounting 17 is provided with'a suitable counterweight 21.

With the construction described, when the table is elevated, the fixed ortion 10 is carue to the action of the connecting rod 19, the upward movement of the table will be transmitted to the relatively movable member 14, moving the same outwardly to the dotted line position A shown in Figure 3. lln this position, the billet coming from the mill will be guided so as to enter between the relatively movable aiid relatively fixed members of the wrench or manipulator. As the table lowers, the relatively movable portion of the wrench will be moved inwardly toward the stationary ortion b the action of the counterweig t 21, an will drag the billet into engagement with the ripping teeth 12. Continued descent of t e table will bring one edge of the billet B, (see Figure 3) into engagement with the turning shoulder 22, thereby limiting the further descent of this edge of the billet. The diametrically opposite edge, being in engagement with the gripping teeth 12, will continue its downward movement, thereby effecting a turning thereof through an angle of. substantially 90, Binding of the billet during descent of the table is prevented by thel roller 24 coming into contact with the inclined portion 25, on the relatively movable member,

- thereby again moving the same to the dotted line position A illustrated, and freeing the billet so that the same may be fed by the tilting table in the next pass through the blooming-mill.

It will be understood that similar wrenches or manipulators may be provided for each of the tables, thereby effecting automatically a turning through 90 or more of thebillet upon each operation of the tables.

The advantages of the present invention reside in the provision of means Jfor automatically effecting the turning of the billet whereby hand turning thereof is entirely eliminated.

l claim:

1. A -manipulator for turning billets, comprising a movable table, a member relatively fixedl to the table, a member movable relatively to said table, billet-gripping means on said relatively fixed member, a turning shoulder on said relatively movable member, and means for actuating said members upon movement of the table to turn the billet, substantially as described.'

2. A billet turning device for mills having a movable roll table, comprising a meinber carried by said table and fixed relatively thereto, a relatively movable member cooperating therewith, means for gripping a billet between said members, and means forinea-,toa

turning a billet upon movement of said table, substantially as described.

3. A billet turning device for mills having a movable roll table, comprising a member carried by said table and fixed relatively thereto, a relativel movable member cooperating therewit gripping means on said rst mentioned member, and a shoulder on said relatively movable member for turnin a billet upon movement of said table, su stantially as described.

4. A manipulator for turning billets, comprising a movable table, a member fixe-:l relatively to said table, a member movable relatively to saidtable, gri ping means on said relatively fixed mem er, a turning shoulder on said relatively movable member, means for limiting the inward travel of said relatively movable member, and means for actuating said members upon movement of said table for turning a billet, substantially as described.

5. A billet turning device for millshaving a movable table, comprising a member fixed relatively to said table, a relatively movable member cooperating therewith, a connection between the table and said movable member for moving the movable meinber in one direction, a counterweight for moving the movable member in the opposite direction, means for gripping a billet between said members, and means for turning the billet upon movement of said table, substantially as described.

6. A billet turning device for mills having a movable roll table, comprising a relativel fixed member carried by the table, a relatively movable member cooperatingtherewith, a connection between the table and the movable member for moving said member in one direction, a counterweight for moving said member in the opposite direction, means for gripping a billet between said members, means for turning the billet upon movement of said table, and means for preventing binding of the billet between said members, substantially as described.

i'. A billet turning device for mills having a movable table, com rising a member carried by and relatively xed to the lifting table, a relatively movable member cooperating therewith and actuated by said table, a gripping means on said first mentioned member, and -a shoulder on said relatively movable member for automatically turning a billet upon movement of said table, substantially as described.

8. A billet turning device for mills having a movable table, comprising a member ,re atively fixed to the table, a relatively movable member mounted for universal movement cooperating therewith, a connection between the table and said movable member for moving the same in one direclll] lll

tion a counterweight for moving the same in the opposite direction, means for gripping a billet between said members, and means for automatically turning the billet upon movement of the table, substantially as described'.

9. A billet turning device for mills having a movable table, comprising a member re atively fixed to the table, a relatively movable member mounted for universal movement cooperating therewith, a connection between the table and the movable member for moving the same in one direction, a counterweight for moving the same in the opposite direction, means for gripping a billet between said members, means for turning the billet upon movement of the table, and automatic means for preventing binding of the billet, substantially as described. v

10. A manipulator for turning billets, comprising a movable table, a billet engaging member on the table adapted to cooperate with billets of materially dilierent cross sectional areas, and a' second member cooperating therewith, said members being adapted to automatically grip and turn a billet during the movement of the table, substantially as described.

1l. A manipulator for turning billets, comprising a movable table, a member movable with the table, a stop member, and means for actuating said members to automatically turn the billet during the movement of the table, substantially as described.

l2. A manipulator for turning billets, comprising a movable table, a billet engaging member on said table having a plurality of independent billet engaging means for cooperating with billets of dilerent cross sectional areas, and a second member relatively movable toward and from said means, said members being adapted to automatically receive therebetween and turn a billet during the movement of tlieltable, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y LLOYD JONES.

gripping, 

